PODCAST · leisure
Gaming Under The Influence
by Gaming at GreenDragonCVR
Video game commentary, philosophy, streams & full game walkthroughs. Soulslike, RPG & survival game focus.
Episodes
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All Games are Better on Hard
Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of how difficulty settings cheapen player agency and why games with the option are always best played on the hardest difficulty
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Metaphor: ReFantazio is the Best RPG of 2024
Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of why Metaphor: ReFantazio, in contrast to its bloated and confused competition, is the best RPG of 2024
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Silent Hill 2 Remake is a Bad Game
Silent Hill 2 Remake is a bad game, contrary to what you have heard. It is bloated, standardized and features disfigured, potato-like monsters in place of characters. Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of how it betrays the original.
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Why Japanese Franchises are Better than Western Ones
Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of what distinguishes long-running Japanese from Western franchises.
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Top 5 Games for Real Gamers in Q4 2024
Do you hate Concord, CoD and Dragon Age: Veilguard? Then join Alex and Mike for a discussion of the top 5 games for real gamers launching in Q4 2024.
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The Good Games Won in 2024
Amidst the raging dumpster fires, 2024 has seen a quantity of excellent, world-class video games. Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of what sets the good games apart from trash, and which of them are worth your attention in 2024.
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How DEI Ruined Western Video Games
Join Alex & Mike for an in-depth discussion of the underlying principles behind the DEI religion, and how these have adversely impacted the Western video game industry.
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Dancing on Concord's Grave
"The eagerness to grave dance on unpopular games has become a bad habit", says PC gamer. Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of how profoundly stupid this statement is. Discussion includes the inbuilt failings of service games, the nature & impact of DEI, and why it is good to hate bad things.
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Has This Been the Worst Console Generation Ever?
Many video game commentators have deemed the current console generation the "worst ever". Join Alex & Mike for an examination and rebuttal of their reasoning.
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The Best JRPG Series of All Times
Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of the four best JRPG series of all time
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Live Service Games are Trash, and They Always Will Be
Alex & Mike discuss the built-in problems with the live service format. Why has every live service game been so bad? Why will every future entry in the genre be worse? Tune in to find out.
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Shadow of the Erdtree Difficulty Controversy
Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of the controversy surrounding Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Is it too difficult? Are the bosses overdesigned? How does scaling work?
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What is a "Soulslike"?
Alex & Mike revisit the defintion of a "soulslike" game in 2024. What essential characteristics distinguish them from games in other genres?
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The Best Games of Summer Game Fest 2024
Though the Western video game industry is in complete decline, Japanese and indie games have never been better. Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of some of these titles as seen at Summer Game Fest 2024.
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Video Game Auteurs
What is an 'auteur'? How does the concept of authorship apply to video games, where a multitude of people and crafts are necessary to a finished work? Who are [some] video game auteurs? Join Alex & Mike for an explanation of video game authorship.
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What's Wrong With Xbox?
What could compel Xbox to shutter talented studios it just paid billions of dollars for? Join Alex & Mike for (another) discussion of what's wrong with Xbox.
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Stellar Blade & Lies of P: The Korean Soulslike Surge
Join Alex & Mike to discuss the ongoing surge of soulslike titles from Korea. Stellar Blade is set to launch this Friday, continuing the trend initiated by Lies of P.
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AAA Games are Dying, and That's OK!
The most anticipated AAA releases of 2024 have so far undersold and have underwhelmed many players. Join Alex and Mike to talk about why AAA games are deteriorating in quality, failing commercially and why this is no cause for concern.
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Video Game Layoffs are a Western Problem (2023-24)
Did you know that the layoffs affecting the video game industry in 2023 and 2024 have been an exclusively western problem? Asian developers like Capcom, Fromsoft, Kojima and Neowiz continue to expand and hire while American and European studios shrink and collapse. Join Mike and Alex for a...
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Do Microtransactions Always Ruin Games?
Microtransactions have been patched into Dragon's Dogma 2. Join Alex & Mike to discuss if microtransactions always ruin games.
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The Real Problem With Sweet Baby inc.
What's the problem with consultancy firms like Sweet Baby Inc? The conversation has so far left the most important things unstated: the violation of artistic integrity and the putrescent ideology at play.
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How to Start Playing Japanese RPGs in 2024
On the heels of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, join Alex & Mike for a rundown of the best games for newcomers to the JRPG genre.
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State of the Industry - Xbox & Live Service Gaming
Recent events consolidate the impression that the Western AAA video game industry is in dire straits. Creative interests are sacrificed in order to pursue defunct genres and monetization styles; this shows no sign of letting up.
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The Best Games Have One Creator
What separates the best games from the rest? Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of the distinguishing feature[s] of the video game canon.
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Soulsborne Ruined Other Games for Me
After some time with Fromsoft's Soulsborne games, returning to other things just doesn't cut it. Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of why playing souls ruins the experience of other games.
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Is Bloodborne the Best Fromsoft Game?
Is Bloodborne the best Fromsoft game? To answer this question, Alex and Mike compare chalice dungeons and caves, the secondary content in Bloodborne and Elden Ring respectively.
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Five Tips to Succees at Soulslike Games
Whether you are new to the genre or revisiting it after a prolonged absence, you can join Alex & Mike for a run down of five essential tips to help you succeed at Soulslike games Gaming Under the Influence @ Green Dragon CVR with Mike + Alex; SUPPORT GreenDragonCVR...
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Soulslike Games at The Game Awards 2023
Alex & Mike discuss three promising Soulslike games featured at the Game Awards 2023
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Dark Souls I is Still Worth Playing in 2023
The original Dark Souls is refreshing to return to in 2023. Recent and acclaimed titles (like Alan Wake 2 and Tears of the Kingdom) exhibit disproportion between gameplay mechanics and fiction or worldbuilding. Fromsoft's 2011 masterpiece, on the other hand, is the marriage of focused mechanics…
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Alan Wake II: Revolutionary Gameplay
Alan Wake II features the most revolutionary interaction between fictional and mechanical elements since Death Stranding. Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of the Mind Place, Overlap, AWEs, how Remedy expresses these ideas though multiple layers of in-game reality and multimedia depictions.
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The Worst Soulslike I Have Ever Played - Lords of the Fallen
We've played every 3D soulslike game at GreenDragonCVR. None have been so terrible as 2023's Lords of the Fallen. A total absence of enemy and boss variety; tedious progression and level design; a goofy and cartoonish world conveyed with comically poor writing,; these factors combine to make this...
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Game of The Year Predictions 2023
Alex & Mike speculate on potential game of the year nominees for 2023
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How to Enjoy Soulslike Games
Playing Soulslike games is not about skill nor strength of will. It is entirely about state of mind: [about] enjoying the act of playing, with no concern for outcomes. Join Alex and Mike for a discussion of how to approach and ejoy soulslike games.
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The Top 5 Soulslike Games Not Developed by FromSoftware
Join Alex & Mike for a review of the best soulslike games from developers other than FromSoftware. Science-fictional settings, impressive scale, directional parrying & third-person shooting are amongst the features that make these games stand out in an increasingly crowded genre.
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The Hardest Soulslike: Lies of P
Lies of P is the first true equal of Fromsoft's own games, capturing the themes and mechanical complexities that make Miyazaki's work special. Further, it is the hardest soulslike ever made, particularly for parry design, boss patterns and the commitment required to best even mid-game bosses.
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Xbox Wants Nintendo: Why Monopolies are Bad for Gaming
Phil Spencer’s ambition to acquire Nintendo for Xbox has been the talk of the town this week. Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of why such an acquisition would lead to the production of sub par games. When creatives lack control of their own financial interests, they inevitably become the...
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How to Start Playing Soulslike Games in 2023
Outsiders view the soulslike genre as impenetrable, and for good reason. Steep learning curves, absent tutorials, abstract themes and storytelling all make it difficult for newcomers to begin playing games in the genre. Join Alex and Mike for an introduction to soulslike games via five of the…
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Armored Core VI & Starfield: Exceeding Expectations
Expectations were high for these long-awaited releases from Bethesda and Fromsoft. Both are clear successes. Join Mike and Alex for a discussion of worldbuilding, story and gameplay in Armored Core 6 and Starfield. Gaming Under the Influence @ Green Dragon CVR with Mike + Alex; SUPPORT...
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Remnant 2 Review
Join Alex & Mike for a review of 2023's Remnant II, a soulslike with procedural level generation and third-person shooting from Gunfire Games.
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Final Fantasy XVI - Lore & Spoiler Discussion
Alex and Mike return to the lore of Final Fantasy XVI. After some initial disappointment with the worldbuilding, the boys have come to appreciate the broader strokes of the story and world, despite some lingering distaste for bearer-related plot beats.
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Make the Mistlands Great Again - GUI 145
Valheim recently received its biggest update since launch, containing the titular Mistlands biome long-time players have waited many months to explore. The new zone is weird & awe-inspiring, with rocky peaks jutting into a purple sky from an ocean of impenetrable mist, where man-sized insects war...
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The Game Awards 2022: A Bright Future for Video Games - GUI 144
The Game Awards 2022 were the best iteration of the show yet. Activistic filler content was minimal, awards were well-distributed and the industry's greatest developers presented their current projects. We were left with many reasons to be excited about the future of video games. Join Mike & Alex...
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The Evil West Episode - GUI 143
Evil West is a refreshing game to play in 2022. While, as its marketing has noted, it lacks secondary monetization features of any kind, it also recalls games developed in the PS2 era, before the advent of contemporary information technology: when developers lacked the ability to monitor…
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Miyazaki, Kojima & Creative Control - GUI 142
At the AAA scale, both Kojima & Miyazaki have attained an unusual degree of financial & creative freedom over the games they make.: Miyazaki is president of FromSoft, while Kojima owns his own studio. Join Mike & Alex for an optimistic treatment of the future this makes possible.
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The Absolute Best Upcoming Games of 2022 - GUI 141
Alex & Mike at GreenDragonCVR present a list of the absolute best games yet to launch in 2022. From JRPGs to farming sims, from Pokemon to survival horror, some of the most important games of the year will be released in November & December. Are you ready? Harvestella [Developed by Square Enix,...
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Top 10 Games of 2022 So Far - GUI 140
Join Mike & Alex for a discussion of the top 10 games of 2022 so far. From soulslike to survival to pokemon to FPS, this year has been packed with outstanding games we could not be happier to share our thoughts on. Tune in next week for a list of the most exciting games left to release this year.
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Franchise Funk & Gameplay Bloat - GUI 139
Playing a game involves two things: gameplay on the one hand and, on the other, the world, story & meaning which gameplay conveys. Gameplay, like the words in a book or paint on a canvas, is the medium the game-maker uses to communicate his concept. Even where gameplay mechanics are similar, as...
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Stadia is DEAD! but so is Disco Elysium :( - GUI 138
What does the failure that is Stadia have in common with the firing of Kurvitz, Hindpere & Rostov from ZU/AM? They both result from an industry fixation on market-immanent metrics of a product’s ‘success’ at the expense of the integrity of the work. Join Alex & Mike for a discussion of streaming...
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On Open World Bloat & Ludo-Narrative Dissonance - GUI 137
Alex & Mike discuss bloat in contemporary open world games & the tension they often exhibit between narrative & systems. While survival games & soulslikes convey the intelligible content of the world & plot via the player’s tactile engagement with a virtual space, western open world games with...
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Only Bad Games are “Harder to Make These Days” - GUI 136
Gaming Under the Influence @ Green Dragon CVR with Mike + Alex; Developers out of 343 Industries have recently offered insight into why they believe “games are harder to make these days”[i]. Amongst the items on their list of reasons are enhanced technical expectations and the intricacies of...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Gaming Under The Influence have?
Gaming Under The Influence currently has 135 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Gaming Under The Influence about?
Video game commentary, philosophy, streams & full game walkthroughs. Soulslike, RPG & survival game focus.
How often does Gaming Under The Influence release new episodes?
Gaming Under The Influence publishes regularly with 135 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Gaming Under The Influence?
You can listen to Gaming Under The Influence on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Gaming Under The Influence?
Gaming Under The Influence is created and hosted by Gaming at GreenDragonCVR.
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